The ALA Youth Media Awards were announced this morning. Last year, I was doing storytime for 2- and 3-year-olds at my library during the announcement and caught up right after; today (like many others), I watched in my pajamas with my five-year-old next to me or in my lap, waiting impatiently through the YALSA awards for the ones she really cared about…the Pura Belpré and the Caldecott! (When We Are Water Protectors was finally announced as the winner, she said, “That’s the one I would have picked, too.”)

“We stand
With our songs
And our drums.
We are still here.” -We Are Water Protectors

“A cure is not about what we want. It’s about what we need. The same is true for stories.” – When You Trap A Tiger

“When you believe, that is you being brave. Sometime, believing is the bravest thing of all.” – When You Trap A Tiger

I was excited about the books (and authors and illustrators) in every award category, starting with the Asian/Pacific American Awards: I loved Danbi Leads the School Parade (picture book honor) and Prairie Lotus (children’s literature honor), and When You Trap A Tiger (children’s lit winner – and Newbery winner!).

School Library Journal has already published an article and a complete list of the honor and award books, so, like last year, I’ll continue with the books I’ve already read in each category. I’ve already requested several of the ones that I missed (including three of the Caldecott honor books, I am embarrassed!) from the library.

• Danbi Leads the School Parade by Anna Kim (Asian/Pacific American picture book honor)
• Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park (Asian/Pacific American children’s literature honor)
• When You Trap A Tiger by Tae Keller (Asian/Pacific American children’s literature winner)
• Welcoming Elijah by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal (Sydney Taylor picture book winner)
• I Talk Like A River by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Sydney Smith (Schneider Family Book Award winner for young children)
• When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed (Schneider Family Book Award honor for middle grade)
• Show Me A Sign by Ann Clare LeZott (Schneider Family Book Award winner for middle grade)
• You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (Stonewall honor)
• King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender (Coretta Scott King author honor, Stonewall award)
• Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson (Coretta Scott King author winner)
• Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (Alex Award)
• Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (Odyssey honor)
• Sharuko by Monica Brown, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri (Pura Belpré illustrator honor)
• ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat by Raúl Gonzalez (Pura Belpré illustrator winner)
• Honeybee by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann (Sibert award winner)
• Ty’s Travels: Zip, Zoom! by Kelly Starling Lyons (Theodor Seuss Geisel honor)
• What About Worms!? by Ryan T. Higgins (Theodor Seuss Geisel honor)
• Outside In by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Cindy Derby (Caldecott honor)
• We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade (Caldecott winner)
• Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Newbery honor)
• We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly (Newbery honor)
• When You Trap A Tiger by Tae Keller (Newbery winner)

Travis Jonker over at SLJ invites readers to fill out a 2021 “Caldecott Comment Card.” Since I only read two(!) out of the five Caldecott honor/award books this year, I can’t say how the handful of titles I was hoping for compare, but I was sad not to see Minh Lê and Dan Santat’s Lift on the list at all (I think Sophie Blackall’s If You Come to Earth was tremendous also, but she’s already won twice). As a wise librarian friend said this morning, “I don’t envy the committees. Such hard decisions.”

So, thank you to everyone who served on any committee; thank you to all of the authors and illustrators who created books last year, and their publishers; and thanks to the booksellers and other librarians who are going to get these (and many other) books into the hands of readers, one way or the other (hurray for contactless pickup!).